Forum SDplanes.France

Hello Basil,
vous pouvez utiliser la colle époxy à deux composants à la place du vernis ; c'est ce que j'ai fait sur les conseils d'un constructeur de motoplaneur ULM, Claude Noin à Gap, après avoir épuisé le vernis dont je disposais. Et il n'y a pas de réaction chimique avec le vernis fourni.
James

Hi Basil, I have used a marine-grade varnish on some surfaces but have switched to using thinned (10-20% MEK or acetone) epoxy as varnish. I coat it very liberally, let it soak in and then top up the "dry" looking sections. Then I put some peel ply on and let it cure. I do that on both sides. I find that the surfaces are stiffer, especially the very thin ply and I just roughen-up the contact surface where the ply will be glued, wet it with epoxy/mix and install it. The outer surface has that peel-ply feel but cleans up in no time to a smooth finish.
The advantages that I see is better sealing of the ply (I had problems with wrinkling) as we have some extreme climate here (dry & cool winters, hot and humid summers). It also negates the need for marking out all of the glue lines and varnishing around them. It is a bit more expensive and might add some weight.

happy building, Thomas

Thanks for the advice James and Pluessy.  I am happy to use the epoxy resin as a varnish for big areas but it is a nuisance to mix some when one is fitting controls and just want to seal a hole in the wood that you have just drilled and are about to put a bolt into.

I did a web search on the company that made the varnish supplied with the kit.  They have a web site but no one part epoxy varnish on it.